For copyright and disclaimers, please see chapter one.
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2 – Gotham City, Third Year
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Sunday, August 20, 2000:
Gotham City, Wayne Manor: 07:26
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Mattie knocked on the door, "Tomas? Are you up?"
"Si, you may enter," he called, asking her as she opened the door, "What am I to do with all this space?"
"You may fill it with your things, Tomas," she smiled gently. "Instead of church today, we were going to say goodbye to your Mama. Did she ever say what she wanted done? Did you have family in Puerto Rico?"
"Mama had one brother, but he drank far too much, and beat his wife. He would not treat Mama respectfully." He broke into tears, "Why? Why did the Bat-Man live when Mama died? He was supposed to save her! Why did he fail?"
"Tomas? Tomas, listen to me," Mattie said, pulling him into a hug. "Tomas, your Mama was alive when Batman got both of you to the hospital. They worked very hard, but they could not save her. Batman and the hospital did everything they could, but your Mama had a weak heart. Your Mama knew she might die, but she did her very best to save you when she gave you the breathing device. She must have loved you very much."
"Si..." he whispered.
"So we must honor her memory, Tomas, by helping you do the very best that you can. She can look down from Heaven and be even prouder of you." Mattie sat next to him on the bed, and held him, "Tomas, you must now make some very difficult decisions. I can help you, but they must be your decisions." He nodded, "What do you wish done with Mama? We can send her back to Puerto..."
"NO!" he shouted. "We came to America to start a new life, and she will be here in America with me!" He tore away from her, starting to pace. "I will go to school with you, my sister," he fumed, "I will be the best wizard the world has ever seen, and when it is time," he turned to face her, "I will have my revenge for Mama's death."
"You need training, then," Selina said from the doorway. She took a few steps into the bedroom, knelt and hugged him. "We will teach you what you need to know, and what you wish to know. It is a difficult and dangerous road, Tomas, and is not a decision to be taken in the heat of the moment. For now, we must decide what to do with Mama."
"I will not change my mind, however, may we place her nearby, where I can talk to her?"
Mattie glanced at her mother, "We can place her next to my father, Tomas. She will be only a few steps away. Would that be all right?"
"Gracias, that would indeed be all right."
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Monday, August 21, 2000:
Gotham City, WGHO studios: 06:01:20
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"It's six a.m., and it's a beautiful Monday morning to all of you from Gotham's oldies station, WGHO. I'm Shawna Foxx, getting you up out of your cozy den, and heading into work! So get your paw off that snooze button and pour yourself a cup of your favorite wake-up beverage! I'll be here with you till ten, but now we've got Alex with the early morning traffic report." Heather MacDonald potted down the mike, picking up the in-house line, "MacDonald."
"Good morning, Heather, this is Batgirl," the voice said, and the DJ froze. "You've only got another few seconds on the Fleishmann's spot," the voice prompted. Heather shook herself, punching the cart for the Knights' spot and returning to the phone. "Sorry if I rattled you, Heather. Take a sip of coffee, then record this line and put me on the air."
"How do I know this is Batgirl?" Heather asked.
"Aside from coming on an internal line with no caller ID? I gave you an autographed 'wing with a bent tip. It was bent from jamming a gun action when the Dragons jumped you and Ms. Lane a few years ago. It's the only autographed 'wing around, because you've checked eBay for it. You're also a freckle-faced, petite strawberry blonde. Want your social security number? You've got dead air. Do something with it."
Heather potted up her mike, hitting the record switches for that line. "Good morning, Gotham, have I got a treat for you! I have Batgirl on the line, and I'm recording this at her request. Just in case you're wondering, she is the real McCoy. Open mike, Batgirl, and the phones are lighting up. Oy, are they lighting up!"
"I'm sure they are, Shawna," the throaty voice said with a chuckle. "May I say I love your show, and Fleishmann's salmon is to die for. However, I'm not calling to give free advertising, but to pass on a message to Boss Marone. I know he's listening to you also, and I'd like to state that Shawna and WGHO are not affiliated in any way with the Clan. We'll be... unhappy if anything were to happen to them. We're tired of Boss Marone, and we're passing on a message to his troops. They have until midnight Wednesday to turn themselves in, with evidence, to FBI agents on Gordon Plaza, or they'll be in Gotham General's trauma ward, and the Feds will be visiting them. This applies to Marone's capos, and his consigliore, Benni the Fishwife, all the way down to his pimps. Everyone but his working girls and Marone himself. By the way, Marone, I applaud your promoting a woman as consigliore, but we don't consider Benni a working girl."
"So what about Boss Marone?" Shawna asked.
"He's advised to turn himself in to the FBI, the Secret Service, or the IRS," Batgirl said. "His choice. I would advise against the police, as Police Commissioner Tombleson is speaking with the FBI, although not by his choice. He's explaining some irregularities in his finances. I have time for a couple calls."
"Line one, you're on with Batgirl," Shawna said, the caller asking, "Where's Batman, and will you marry me?"
The throaty chuckle again, "Batman's around, if you haven't seen him, that's a good thing. I'm sorry, but I'm spoken for. Next caller?"
"Er, so, the deal is, we talk ta youse guys or da feds, right?"
"You talk to the feds either way. First way is under your own power, or second, after the doc and when you're in traction." There was the hum of the line disconnecting, and Batgirl said, "Once again, midnight Wednesday is the deadline, then its hunting season with no bag limit." The throaty chuckle again, "Shawna, thanks for having me, and have a nice day, Gotham!"
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"This is WAR!" Boss Marone screamed. "What did we do? Who set off the Bat?"
"They're winning it," Benni said. The tall blonde brushed her hair back, adjusting her $2000 Italian suit. "They've dropped information into the Secret Service, the FBI, Treasury, hell, even the damned CIA! Our accounts are being closed left and right by the Swiss, the Arabs in Dubai, even our Central American accounts in Belize are gone!"
"Gone?"
"Gone like some of our 'loyal' capos," she said, motioning at the empty chairs at the oak conference table. She glanced at the wall clock above the crime boss, 'I wonder what they've got on me?' she wondered. 'What can I tell them? I hope I can survive Alderson prison. I've got the true set of books, and a few hours, that should help. Maybe I can get witness protection.' She mused, "As far as what set them off, your guess is as good as mine. You heard what Batgirl said this morning, just like I did. We know their intelligence has always been excellent, this time they're pulling out all the stops, and there's no escape. Hell Month is early."
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Wednesday, August 23, 2000:
Gotham City, Three Corners: 00:00:01
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The last echo of St. Michaels' bells rang over the island, with people holding their breath. Giuseppe Aldone looked around nervously, shotgun cradled in his sweaty hands. A voice said softly, "You heard the bells. Hunting season's open." He screamed, and started firing blindly, his girls screaming and taking cover. He never saw the blow that took him out. Only one girl saw a flash of cape, a soft voice asking "Everyone OK?" She nodded nervously, Giuseppe vanishing into the shadows.
Mattie finished binding the pimp to the streetlamp and moved on.
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Mattie looked down on the nervous druggie cradling a Thompson. A thrown dart jammed the gun's action, as he looked around. She asked, "Didn't you hear the bells?" He screamed, trying to fire, while Mattie chopped his beefy neck, dropping him. She gave the action a quick blasting hex while tying him to an iron fence, then vanished into the night.
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"How ya doing, little sis?" Dick asked.
Mattie replied, "Fourteen pimps, half a dozen druggies. Only injury so far has been a working girl with a dirty PPK, it jammed on her. How's the feds doing?"
"They had to pull in agents from all over, but they're making out like a politician with a Swiss account," Babs said. "Benni the Fishwife came in a couple hours ago just loaded down with files. She's trying for witness protection," adding, "I wanna go play, you guys are having all the fun!"
"Wait until Amy Rohrback and Harry get there with Lois," Selina said. "Then you can work the South side with Mattie," Selina said.
"Does that mean I can do more druggies?" Mattie asked, adding, "Oops, gotta rescue tourists."
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Henry Stimson was worried, there was a tension in the air that he didn't like. He nervously looked around, wishing for his old service pistol that Marge had wanted to get rid of. He jumped when a soft voice asked, "Didn't you hear the church bells? This is no place for tourists."
"What? Who said that?" Marge asked.
"I'm the Pimpernel, a member of the Clan," the voice said. "What hotel are you staying at?"
"The... the Radisson at 15th and..." Henry said.
"I know it," a young woman said, materializing out of the darkness. She clasped both their waists, flying up with them above the city. "We're taking down Boss Marone's gang tonight," she said conversationally. They landed, she added, "Here we are, go to your room and watch TV. Local news is cable channel 23, and welcome to Gotham City," ignoring the two bellhops with shotguns, she flew off.
"Who was that?" one of the bellhops asked.
"You don't know?" Henry asked. "She called herself the Pimpernel, said that she belonged to a Clan."
"Dude," the other bellhop said, "You just got rescued by a Bat, and the Clan is taking down the local Mob boss tonight. They had until midnight to surrender to the feds, man."
"Not only that, but it was a new Bat!" the first enthused. "It's like, totally rare to see any of them!"
"It was a girl Bat, too! Cool!"
"What about the police?" Marge asked, the two bellhops just laughed. "Ma'am, this is Gotham. The home of the Bats, and the Big Bat himself."
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The producer counted down, and the overnight anchor said, "Welcome to WGTV channel 23, all Gotham, all the time. The big news story remains the Clan's declared war against Boss Marone's criminal empire, with consigliore Benni the Fishwife turning herself in just before the deadline. In addition to the Fishwife's arrest, the city has been holding its collective breath since the phone call by Batgirl to WGHO morning DJ Shawna Foxx."
"It was just shocking," Shawna said on tape, "I've run into Batgirl several years before, and she remembered it! I was floored, and then she wanted me to go live. Well, that's what a morning show is for, so I hit record and told her she had an open mike."
"And what an open mike it was," the anchor said. "The Clan is disdaining local police channels, so we have to rely on eyewitness accounts. We have reports of all the Clan in action, for more now, we go to local police reporter Jason Tucker. Jason?"
"Thank you, Brenda. The Clan is still doing the dangerous work, putting boots on the ground against Boss Marone. The only reported usage of the GCPD is escorting the occasional paramedic, and transporting the FBI Special Agents returning to Gordon Plaza with their arrests, a very public slap in the face to Acting Commissioner Giomotto."
"We do have reports of a new member of the Clan, who calls herself the 'Pimpernel'." Jason cleared his throat, "The best description we have is a young Caucasian woman with black hair, about twenty, who rescued a pair of elderly tourists in the Three Corners area tonight."
"Elderly? Henry said. "Are we elderly now?"
"... wearing the usual black cape, bodysuit and toolbelt. Also in the news is the arrest of new Police Commissioner Tombleson on fraud charges."
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Thursday, August 24, 2000:
Gotham City, WGHO studios: 06:00:15
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"Good morning, Gotham! It's six a.m. on a beautiful Thursday morning. I'm Shawna Foxx from Gotham's oldies station, WGHO. Up, up out of your cozy den, and pour yourself a cup of your favorite wake-up beverage! I'll be here with you till ten, but now we've got Alex with the early morning traffic report." Heather MacDonald potted down the mike, giving a wary eye to the in-house phone line.
"That's the line the call came in on?" Senior Special Agent McCarthy of the FBI asked, sipping coffee.
"Yeah, we've got forty-five seconds left. You ready?"
"Let's rock and roll."
"On an oldies station?" she grinned. He chuckled as she settled herself, counting down; sliding the pots up, "Welcome back, Gotham! As you know, last night the Clan decided they'd had enough of the Marone gang. We don't know what set them off, but the results were certainly impressive. For info on just how impressive, I have the FBI's own Agent McCarthy from the Gotham office." She ran a pot up, nodding at the Fed. "Agent McCarthy, what was your take from 'hunting season'?"
"I would not want to be on their bad side," he said. "This is the most devastating blow against the Mob since the elimination of the Five Families in New York. I would like to clarify that the Clan took out targets of opportunity as well, we had members of the various Tongs, street gangs, street level druggies, and a couple Triad members dropped into our laps. The only ones they bypassed were the working girls and the independent brothels and their madams."
"So how exactly did it all work?" Shawna asked.
"We'd get a call on one of our internal lines," she grinned at him, "the caller would announce themselves as someone called 'Oracle', giving a location, and type of arrest. We'd go there, process the scene, and by the time we'd finished, the Gotham Police would be there with a paddy wagon." He shook his head, "They warned us to have the manpower, but we didn't really believe them. We should have. Aside from the walk-in arrests, we had a total of 254 members of the Marone gang, a couple of dozen others, and even a couple of muggers who were dumb enough to try it last night."
"Were there any injuries or deaths?" Shawna asked.
"Amazingly, there was nothing worse than a grazing wound, although one of the mugger's victims went into labor. That's probably why they decided to try their luck. I understand mother and kid are fine, although I can't say as much for the mugger's sense of timing."
"True," Shawna said with a chuckle. She paled, "We've got a call coming in, just like Monday." She flipped switches, "This is Shawna Foxx, and you're live on WGHO."
A male voice with a slight British accent said, "Oracle here. You're welcome, mate." The line disconnected, Shawna looking at the Fed, who said, "That's Oracle."
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"Having fun, Harry?" Selina asked from the other workstation. He chuckled, she reminded him, "A week left before school starts. Want to go with Mattie and Tomas?"
"No thanks, I'll apparate back, unless you've got a floo connection?"
"Nope, not secure enough." She leveled a gaze at him, "I hope I won't see you this year at school. You'll keep an eye out for Mattie and Tomas?"
"Of course," he stood and nodded, "Thank you for the hospitality, Mrs. Wayne."
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Saturday, August 26, 2000:
Grandview Heights, Ohio, Morton home: 01:21 (GMT-5)
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Crickets chirped as Mattie alighted, knocking on the door. She smiled as Arthur opened the door, "Sorry I'm a bit early. Is Julia ready?"
"As ready as anyone can be at one a.m. C'mon in, mom wanted a word, anyway."
"Uh, oh," she grinned. "My goose is cooked!"
"Silly snake," he jibed. "Mom, Mattie's here!"
"Come in, come in, you'll catch your death standing out there!" Momma Morton said, "Arthur, go get your sister moving!" She took Mattie by the arm, sitting down with her in the cozy kitchen. "So tell me what you're going to do with my Julia."
"First, I have a new adoptive brother, Tomas," she told Momma, accepting the glass of ice water. "His mother died in a fire, and he had a Hogwarts letter." Momma tisked, "Tomas will be in the same year as Julia, so I'll be watching out for both of them, along with my friends. Since we're running late in getting Tomas outfitted for school, we can take Julia too, the old two birds thing."
"I see. How do you plan to get there? It's several hours to fly."
"It's five time zones, yes, which means it's a little before six thirty there, so if we want to get there when the shops open at seven, I show up here at one. Sorry. However, I have a secret," Mattie looked around, ignoring Elena lurking in the hall.
"She has a Ring," Elena said, entering. "Mattie, I know Arthur asked me not to, but I've gotta..." she let out a little shriek.
"Ring?" Momma Morton asked.
"Green Lantern ring," Elena explained.
Momma Morton's eyes widened. She felt blindsided by this news. "Arthur Donald Morton!" she bellowed, nearly waking the rest of the house.
'Oh crap, she used my whole name', Arthur thought as he barreled down the stairs in response. "Yes?" he asked with false calm.
"How long have you known that Mattie was a Green Lantern?"
"I can't tell you."
"Can't or won't?"
"Won't."
"Arthur," she said dangerously.
"Won't," he said, drawing himself up to his full height.
"Arthur, it's all right," Mattie said, "I thought you knew," she told Mrs. Morton.
"No it isn't," he replied before turning toward his mother. "Mom, I've learned a lot of secrets the last two years, including stuff like that ring. And I keep my mouth shut because everybody; you, me, Julia, Elena, even Mattie is safer that way. If Mattie wants to tell you, that's her business. But I'm not going to do it for her and I'm not going to do it to anyone else. You'll just have to trust me."
She regarded him thoughtfully, Momma Morton finally asking, "How long have you been saving that speech?"
"About a year now."
Elena smacked her brother. "That was a rhetorical question, or couldn't you tell?"
"Sorry, my rhetoric meter is broken."
Turning, Elena asked, "You know the weird thing Mattie?" With a jab of her thumb, she said, "He was like this before he went to Hogwarts." Arthur glared, and she stuck out her tongue.
"Feel better?" Mattie asked, Elena nodding. "Your price for that little scream was your keeping your mouth closed about this little toy. I don't want to hear about you bragging to your girlfriends at school, now, no gossip. You have your Two-Face picture for that. Deal?"
"I agree," Momma Morton said. "Elena, you will not speak of this to your girlfriends, something that you obviously knew about before." She glowered at her daughter, who nodded.
"You've got a deal." She joined her mother, "Mom, that ring makes Mattie one of the three or four most powerful people on Earth. If she's going to look after Julia, along with Arthur and little Bill next year, well... think of Julia being in the same school as Supergirl."
"Am I to be reassured by this?" Momma asked. "I've noticed the more powerful a hero is, the more powerful his enemies are. Superman doesn't fight muggers."
"Actually, he does, and at best, I'm a back up Green Lantern," Mattie said. "Mostly, I'm a witch in training, just like Julie."
"Hopefully Julia'll do better in Transfig than Mattie," Arthur said, Mattie wincing as Julia entered. "She's been practicing for the last few weeks." He shook Mattie's shoulder gently, "We can't have you getting a swelled head, now."
"With you around? Never."
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Mattie and Julia alighted on a patio, Mattie quickly flipping up a cobblestone and entering a code. She mentioned, "Disabling the alarm," as she closed the first, opening another false stone to press her hand against a pad. With a quiet 'snick', the locks on the French doors released. With a grin, Mattie held the door, "Welcome to my humble home."
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"Hello, Julia," Selina said. "I'd like you to meet Tomas."
"Hello, Tomas," Julia said, "I was sorry to hear about your mama. Please accept my sympathies."
"Gracias, I know my Mama is watching over me from Heaven, along with Senor Wayne." He brooded a bit, "You are also starting at the magic school in England?"
"Yes, and we don't have much time. Are you ready?"
"One moment, please," he left, and Selina said, wiping her hands and leaning against the kitchen sink, "Julia, one thing before you go. Arthur kicked up a fuss about money. I've talked it over with your parents, we'll pay for your supplies, and they'll reimburse us. I don't want to hear you came up short on something necessary, all right?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"If only my own daughter were that polite," Selina said with a grin, Mattie yelping, "Hey!"
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Saturday, August 26, 2000:
London, Charing Cross: 06:38 (GMT)
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"Dios!" Tomas said, crossing himself as they landed in the alley.
"I told you this was a secret," she said, he nodded, "Such a secret, though."
"A little secret, Tomas," she smiled, "Are you both ready to meet people? I will be there, and none will hurt you. Come, take my hands, we go this way."
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Mattie stopped, "This is the Leaky Cauldron pub, a magic pub. A friend of mine Albus Dumbledore works here. We go through here to get to the magic shops. Come, the door sticks a bit."
Tomas held back, "I am not of age."
"None of us are," Julia said. "We're not drinking, though I'm hungry."
"Why are you two hungry, I've been doing all the work!" Mattie kidded. "Would you like breakfast?" Tomas nodded, and he pulled on the door.
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"Good morning, Mr. Dumbledore," Mattie said, "I'd like to introduce Tomas Ramirez, and you remember Julia Morton, Arthur's sister. They'll be starting at Hogwarts this year."
"Hello, Miss Morton, and Mr. Ramirez," Albus said, flipping the towel over his shoulder and gravely shaking his hand. "My deepest sympathies on the death of your mother."
He took a shuddering breath, "Thank you, senor. It is difficult, but I am adjusting, with the help of God and my new family."
"Family is very important," Albus said. "Would the three of you like breakfast? The Alley won't open for another fifteen minutes or so."
Mattie replied, "Thank you, sir, whatever you have available. Tomas, Julia, would you like coffee, milk, orange juice?"
"Coffee, por favor. I think this will be a long day," and Julia nodded.
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The Cauldron gradually filled up with witches and wizards, having breakfast or a morning cuppa to start the day. Mattie waved as Charlie Adams came in; he joined them, pouring a cup of tea and offering "G'day. Mattie, my sympathies on the death of your pa."
"I'm not the only one," she replied, "Tomas lost his mother on the same night."
"That's rough, mate," he said, "My sympathies to you, too." He took a sip, "Starting Hogwarts?"
"Si, the bird came with the magic letter, and the Waynes were kind enough to help. I do not know quite what to make of it."
"Between us, we'll get you two kitted out," Charlie grinned. The clock chimed the hour, and he finished his tea as Mattie fished out coins.
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"First things first," Mattie said as they waited to enter the Alley, "We need to get school uniforms and robes fitted. Then, while that's being done, we can shop for Tomas' wand. Julia, you have your wand?"
"I do," she said, pulling it out of her back pocket. Mattie tisked, "We need to get both of you a wand sheath. I know it's not on the official list, but they're very useful. Charlie, you have yours?"
"I do, and if you're like your brother, you're already counting the coins," he told Julia. "Take our advice and accept it. I just wish I could get Arthur to wear a watch, the silly git."
"Never happen," Julia said with a giggle. "He hates the things, but I can see where a wand sheath would be useful. I tried one of his spring-loaded gizmos, but I can't make it work."
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"Hello, Ms. Patil," Mattie said politely to the Indian witch. "I apologize, I know its short notice, but we need two sets of Hogwarts uniforms and robes for firsties."
"Certainly, Miss Wayne, but there will be a rush charge," Mattie nodded, Parvati adding, "Your uniforms and robes are altered, along with your Quidditch robes. Would you like to try them on?"
Mattie mounted a stand, "Could you check my measurements first, please?"
Parvati shrugged and released her measure, which crawled over Mattie to Julia and Tomas' shock. "Same measurements, your uniforms are in room three. Who's next?" Charlie snickered, sipping tea.
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Tomas and Julia watched in amazement as Mattie casually shrunk the bulky package of robes, stowing it in her shoulder bag.
"Mattie, thanks for that little warning about the tape measure, it would have freaked me out, and for some reason, Arthur didn't say anything. What's next?" Julia asked.
"Books? I could spend all day in the bookstore," Mattie admitted. "Let's get your trunks ordered next door; Tomas and I have business at Gringotts." She looked at her brother, "Goblins don't look like us, but we're kin to them, Tomas. They're family, and if you need help, you can ask them." Charlie whistled in surprise, "Mate, you've got some powerful help there."
"I shall need it, to avenge Mama's death," he said, and Julia glanced at him.
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"Miss Wayne! Please, come in, is this Mr. Ramirez?"
"Mr. Griplink, how good to see you again!" Mattie hugged the goblin, "This is indeed Tomas. Tomas, this is Mr. Griplink of Gringotts Bank."
"An honor to meet you, Senor Griplink," Tomas said gravely, bowing and giving a firm, two-handed shake. "I understand our families are linked, this pleases me, Senor. I hope to add to our relationship."
"I am most happy to make the acquaintance of you, Senor Ramirez. If there is anything I or Gringotts can do, you have only to speak of it," Griplink said, delighted. "I hate to trouble you, but we do have a bit of business to enact. Please come this way." He led Tomas off, Mattie, Julia and Charlie following behind, Mattie grumbling, "Patriarchal society."
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"I am sorry, my sister," Tomas said as they sat on Florean's patio, eating ice cream. "It was like a scene I saw on the television, I thought it might be useful. Senor Griplink did not mind, and it did turn out to be so." He delicately ate his single-scoop vanilla cone, fastidiously cleaning his hands, then rinsing them off in the fountain. "What is next?"
"Ollivander's, mate. You need a wand."
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"Thank you, Mattie," Julia said, adjusting her wand sheath. "I was afraid I was going to break mine if I sat down wrong in class."
"The uniform skirts don't have pockets, though," Mattie said. "The guys can get away with sticking their wands in their pockets, but we can't!" The girls glared at the guys, Charlie asking, "What'd we do?" Tomas shrugged.
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"Mattie!" Blaise cried, coming over to give a hug. "I'm so sorry to hear about your father," she said.
"Thank you. I saw you signed for Draco and the Baron," she said. "I'd like you to meet my new brother, Tomas Ramirez. His mama died on the same night, and he agreed to join us. Tomas, this is Blaise Zabini, a fellow Slytherin, oh, and this tall fellow is the head of Slytherin House, Professor Snape."
The professor nodded his head, "Mr. Ramirez, my sympathies on your loss. Please contact me if I can assist you. Good luck at Hogwarts."
Mattie moved away, "Professor, I was hoping to see you. I received your research request, and I've got something for you." She dug about in her bag, extracting a silver spiral with a green, glowing crystal in the center. "This should help, professor. It's an Oan memory crystal; it goes back a little ways. When I get to school, I'll help you connect it to your machine."
"Thank you, Miss Wayne. How far back does it go?"
She smiled slightly, "250 million years."
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"I have a question," Tomas said, putting down his heavy potions case. "Do I have to carry this to class every day?"
"No, only Tuesday and Thursday afternoons," Mattie said, drawing her black wand. "I'm going to teach you and Julia two spells, but you can't use them until you get to school." Julia set her case next to Tomas', and nodded. "The first is the featherweight charm, tollenosis." She applied it to Julia's case, then said, "Lift them and compare."
"There are some potion ingredients that don't react well to external charms and such," Charlie said. "Professor Snape will generally store them separately, but keep it in mind." They nodded, "Your wand is fitted to your magic," he added. "If I use Mattie's wand for the same charm, it won't work as well. Some wands are blood-fitted to an individual user; those can only be used by that particular witch or wizard." He borrowed Mattie's wand, casting tollenosis on Tomas' case. They compared; Mattie recasting the charm.
"The second is the shrinking spell, minimus, and the enlarging spell, engorgio," Mattie said, shrinking both cases and tucking them in her bag.
"I have two questions," Julia said. "First, why do you have two wands, Mattie?"
"The tan one is my official, registered US government one," she replied. "The black one is my perfectly matched, expensive, 'unregistered that the government doesn't know about so I can do magic' wand." She grinned, "Second question?"
Julia looked around, "Does Professor Snape ever wash his hair?"
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Mattie glanced at her watch, "Time's flying, guys. What do we have left?"
"Textbooks, pick up trunks and robes," Charlie counted off his fingers, grinning, "We've got time for the Wheeze, mates!"
Tomas hung back, "What is the 'Wheeze'?"
"The best wizarding joke shop in Europe, mate!"
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"Mattie! How's our favorite investor?" Fred called. Harry looked over, "I thought I was your favorite."
"Na, you're the first, mate," George replied. He told Mattie, "Sorry about your pa, Mattie."
"You two actually signed the register with your real names," she replied. "I was shocked! Thank you, guys, I'd like to introduce my new brother, Tomas Ramirez, who lost his mama that same night. Tomas, this redheaded idiot is George Weasley, his twin brother over there is Fred. A word of advice, Tomas, never eat or drink anything here."
"Aw, Mattie, you're spoiling all the fun," Fred complained. "Tomas, our sympathies on the loss of your mum."
"Gracias, senor Weasley. Why do I not want to eat anything here?"
"Because this might happen," Fred said, popping a hard-boiled egg into his mouth. There was a pop, and a six foot rooster was stalking about the store.
"Chicken cackles," George said. "They're brand new. Don't let him out of the store!" he called. "Girls will turn into hens, and if it's that time of the month, will lay an egg. You know what you're doing, but you still think you're a chicken." Fred clucked, pecking at the floor, and George added, "Corn reverses it," throwing some down. Another pop, and Fred was sitting cross-legged on the floor."
"What happens to the egg?" Julia asked.
"Turns into smoke," Fred replied, climbing to his feet. Tomas' face was twitching, and then he laughed, Fred and George joining him.
"We pay commissions on jokes," George added, passing Tomas a flyer. "That one came from a housemate of Mattie's in Slytherin, and no, won't say who."
"Might almost be worth it to be a chicken for four days," Julia mused, Mattie nodding.
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"Julia, did Arthur get his third-year books?"
"Dunno. It's three here, so it would be... ten at home?"
Mattie nodded, "Let's call and check, Ok?"
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The phone rang, Elena picking it up, "Elena Morton."
"Hi, it's Mattie. Julia's here, did Arthur get his third-year books?"
"Dunno. Let me give you to Mom, and I'll go ask." She handed the phone over, "Julia's calling from London. Did Arthur get his books?"
"Julia?" Mattie handed the phone over, sitting on a bench a few feet away.
"Honey, how are you doing? Everything all right?"
"Everything's fine, mom. Tomas is a real latin gentleman, and we met one of Mattie's classmates, Charlie, who's been shopping with us. We've just got a bit more to do, can I get a broom?"
"I will think about it. Here is your brother." Arthur took the phone, "Julia, could you pick up my third year books and potions?"
"Blaise said you hadn't ordered them already, so we got the potions stuff. Does Professor Snape ever wash his hair? Mattie wouldn't say."
"She wouldn't, he's her head of house, she's very loyal. Don't call him a 'greasy git' in her hearing. Just the books, please, Mom's got my robes done. What's mom going to think about?"
"A broom," Julia sighed. "I wanna fly like Mattie did at Christmas."
"Mattie's broom is a couple thousand dollars. She can afford it, we can't. Try out for the Quidditch team in your house. See if you can find one for a couple hundred dollars, that's about 25 galleons."
Julia sighed, "Darn it."
Arthur chuckled softly, "At least we're not being charged interest. Just the books, please." She sighed again and handed the phone back to Mattie.
"No broom?" Julia shook her head. "No broom, just books."
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Saturday, August 26, 2000:
Grandview Heights, Ohio, Morton home: 13:29 (GMT-5)
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They landed softly, invisibly in the back yard behind the grey and red van, and Mattie motioned for silence as she became visible, looking about. She waved Julie over, passing her wand as the girl snuck up on Arthur, dozing in the hammock. Teela waved and got her camera ready. 'Aqueous Frigidus' she called, using Mattie's wand, and he woke suddenly as icy water splashed over him, his left leg twisting in the hammock as he fell out. "That was for not telling me about the measuring tape," she informed her brother loftily as she tossed Mattie's black wand back. "I've got your books and potions stuff," Julia told Arthur, joining Teela at the picnic table as Mattie and Tomas sat down. "Teela, this is Tomas Ramirez, she's one of my three sisters."
"Hello, Teela," Tomas said, standing and giving a small bow. She sighed, winking at Mattie, "Hello, Senor Ramirez, you're going to be fighting them off with a stick."
"Oh, yeah," Mattie agreed. "I'm going to teach him stick fighting, he'll need it." Tomas simply smiled, and the two Morton girls sighed.
Arthur finished wringing out his shirt, Mattie conjuring a beach towel for him; flicking a drying charm at his book, which had been splashed. He squelched over, offering his hand, "Arthur Morton, Tomas." He glanced at his sister, "Okay, we're even for the tape measure."
"Now that that's settled," Mattie said, dropping her bag on the table, "Let's start unloading. It may be shrunken, but it still has weight."
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"Here, Julia, let me help you get your trunk upstairs," Mattie said, dropping her considerably lighter bag on top. The screen door banged, and Julia called, "We're back, Mom!"
"How long have you been back?" she asked, hands dusted with flour.
"About half an hour, I can't leave Tomas alone too long, he's likely to charm Teela off to Gotham," Mattie said with a grin. "Mrs. Morton, may I have a word?"
"I'll just (grunt) drag my new, heavy trunk (grunt) upstairs all by myself," Julia mock-complained. Momma said to Mattie, waving her floured hands, "Go, I'll meet you upstairs in a minute or two."
"It has a featherweight charm on it," Mattie said, picking up the other end again. "Wimp."
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"You guys need a bigger house," Mattie said, "Four girls in one room? How do you do it?"
"Communal closet, and just one drawer in the dresser each," Julia said, dropping her trunk at the end of her bunk bed. She opened it, starting to rearrange things. Little Bill peeked in, muttered, "One more year!" and went downstairs. "I don't know why the trunks don't come with wheels," Julia mused.
Mrs. Morton appeared, closing the door after her. "Now then, what did you want to talk about?" she asked, sitting on a bed.
"Julia's stuff," Mattie said, sitting on another bed and hugging a stuffed bear. "We went a bit over budget, but only for necessities."
"How much over?" Momma asked.
"Twenty-two galleons, which works out to about $160," Julia said, cringing slightly. "One thing was for a wand sheath; because the school's uniform skirts don't have pockets."
"Let's see! Put your uniform on," Momma said, and Julia chewed her lip, looking at Mattie.
"No worse than gym class," Mattie teased, jumping off the bed, "Actually, I did have something private to ask you, Mrs. Morton."
"You can ask while Julia changes," motioning for Mattie to follow her, and closing the door to the master bedroom, "Now then."
"Two things," Mattie said. "The lower years like we are don't have the chance to go into Hogsmeade to shop, so she'll have to take enough toiletries to last about four months, until Christmas break, when she can restock. There's a communal medicine cabinet in each dorm that has things like headache potions, but doesn't include things like, um, tampons or toothpaste."
Mrs. Morton considered this. "We needed to grocery-shop in any case. I'll discuss this with Julia. What else?"
"Just this," Mattie said, digging in her bag. She extracted a wrapped package. "I did a little early Christmas shopping, so this is from me to the Morton family." She expanded it, adding, "It's got a featherweight charm on it, otherwise it weighs about fifty pounds. Stash it with your other Christmas presents, and I'll go see how Julia's doing."
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"Not bad," Mattie said from the doorway. "I need to fix your tie, so have a seat. Did you get thigh-highs or tights?"
"Thigh-highs," Julia said, "Tights get so hot!"
"Yeah, but Scotland is at a higher latitude, and you've got a cold wind coming off the loch," Mattie said, tugging at Julia's sweater. "Put your robes on," she said; continuing, "The greenhouses are outside, so you're going to be freezing your butt off in a skirt, especially in November and December. The potions classroom is in a dungeon, so that's always chilly. Guys don't have to worry about it as much as we do. If your budget can stand it, get some knee boots with a low heel for when you're outside in winter, along with five or six pairs of white insulated tights. You can do cleaning and repair charms on them, believe me, you don't want to squish around all day wearing wet mary-janes and stockings."
"You look adorable!" Momma Morton said, "I need to get some pictures!"
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Mrs. Morton sighed happily; her Julia just looked so precious. She sat, and had to admit that the wand sheath was a good idea, as were the bookbag and the expanding trunk.
"One last question," Mattie asked. "I haven't heard if we fly over on Wednesday the 30th, and have a day for rest and any last-minute shopping, or Thursday the 31st, and catch the train the next day?"
"Why can't we just fly over like we did today?" Julia asked.
"We need to do it legally, going through Customs and such," Mattie said, and Mrs. Morton nodded. "The last I heard, we were going on the 30th."
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Saturday, August 26, 2000:
Gotham City, Wayne Manor: 15:13 (GMT-5)
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"We're home," Mattie said, landing on the patio with Tomas. She disabled the alarm, then unlocked the doors, flipping the stone closed.
"Are all of the doors like this?"
"Yep," she nodded. "Here's how to find them: See the line of brass inserts in the stones?" Mattie pointed. "Find the second from the right as you're facing the house, a foot away at the 10:00 position there's a circular stone. Press the top, and it rotates up, underneath is a keypad." She showed him, flipping up the aluminum protective cover. "Punch in your code to disable the alarm, 9993 to simulate disabling the alarm, if someone is holding you hostage. That will also unlock the doors, but a silent alarm goes to the police." Tomas nodded as she showed him how to open and close the stone. "The next step in a normal entry is to unlock the doors. That stone is a larger flagstone that's a foot to the left of the first stone, it's always shaped like a keystone, see?" She moved her finger around the perimeter, pressing on the top center to rotate it up. "You press on the little chip for five seconds; then place your hand on the scanner underneath. A weakness of the system is if some woman were to press a spike heel on that point, after the other stone was opened, for that amount of time, but neither Mom or I wear spike heels to parties on the lawn, and the system is disabled for parties."
"Why not wear them?" he asked, "They are very attractive."
"Then you can, oh Latin lover," his sister teased. "Spike heels look good, but they're really uncomfortable, and really easy to twist your ankle in the grass," she motioned to the expansive lawn. "That doesn't mean someone who values fashion over comfort wouldn't, but it's not me." She pressed her hand on the scanner again, "The doors relock after 60 seconds, so let's get inside."
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